HTC Magic to eat Android 1.6 Donut update within days

Vodafone has confirmed that HTC Magic customers in the UK will be getting the latest Android OS update on Monday 19 October.

"Donut (Android 1.6), the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, is making its way onto the HTC Magic, with the UK roll-out scheduled for October 19", it said to FoneHome.co.uk, a site that the mobile phone operator sponsors in the UK.

The news, which will bring a number of new features, follows Donut rolling out to US MyTouch users, the virtually identical handset.

The update includes an improved Android market, a rolling-together of the camera, camcorder and gallery interfaces, an updated voice search app, and better search experience from the home screen. It also fixes bugs and improves the general performance of the device.

No word on whether or not the HTC Hero, available on Orange and T-Mobile in the UK will be getting the software OS update at the same time.

In the US, Sprint's HTC Hero, which ships on the 11 October will ship with version 1.6 according to Sprint, however Pocket-lint's review unit came with Android 1.5 installed.

We will keep you posted.

UPDATE on 21/10/09: Vodafone has confirmed that the Donut upgrade is currently being rolled out to Vodafone HTC Magic users in the UK. This process is taking place between the 19-26 October.

Stuart has been a tech journalist since 1998 and written for a number of publications around the world. Regularly turning up on television, radio and in newspapers, Stuart has played with virtually every gadget available.